


The Graysons' Return

by writer171105



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics), Nightwing (Web Series)
Genre: Cute, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gen, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:22:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27763690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writer171105/pseuds/writer171105
Summary: One night, exactly 11 years after the death of the Fabulous Flying Graysons, a bright flash of light is seen at the, currently empty, fairgrounds. Once it disappears, 2 people, a man and woman seemingly in their late forties, are left in its place. Who are these mysterious people? And what do they have to do with Richard Grayson?*I own nothing but the plot!*
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & John Grayson, Dick Grayson & Mary Grayson, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just saying;  
> I know that Dick's native language is actually Romani, but I couldn't find it on Google Translate, so I used Romanian instead ;-)

Prologue:

3rd person POV

11 years after the Flying Graysons' deaths, a bright flash of light illuminates the Gotham Fairgrounds. It lasts about 30 seconds, before disappearing as quickly as it appeared.

Once it has gone, a man and a woman are left in its place. They seem to be in their late forties to early fifties and are completely disoriented.  
"What? Where are we? John?" the woman asks, gazing at the man standing beside her.  
"I don't know, Mary," he responds, "the last thing I remember is the sound of the cables breaking and plummeting to the ground."  
"We should have died!" Mary, the woman, exclaims, "and where's Dick? Where's our little Robin?"


	2. Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One night, exactly 11 years after the death of the Fabulous Flying Graysons, a bright flash of light is seen at the, currently empty, fairgrounds. Once it disappears, 2 people, a man and woman seemingly in their late forties, are left in its place. Who are these mysterious people? And what do they have to do with Richard Grayson?

Part 1:

3rd person POV

"Today, we mark the 11th anniversary of the death of the Flying Graysons," the newsman announces over the TV broadcast, "The famous trapeze artists were killed after the trapeze at their performance was sabotaged, causing them to fall to their deaths. They are survived by their now 20 year old son, Richard Grayson, the ward of Bruce Wayne."

Mary and John Grayson stood staring at the television through the shop's large window, gaping at it in shock.  
"We did die, John," Mary gasped , a few tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, "we died and left Dick behind! And what's worse is that he watched it! He watched his own parents die right in front of his eyes!"   
Mary began to sob, burying her face in her husband's chest. He wrapped his arms around her protectively, although shedding a few tears himself.  
"I know Mary," he said, "but you can't blame yourself. And I'm sure Dick's fine. The news said he was taken in by Bruce Wayne. He didn't have to go through an orphanage or anything. Besides, Dick's a strong kid. He would get through it"  
Mary looked up at John gratefully, giving him a bittersweet smile,"He's not a kid anymore, John," she said, "he's 20 years old."  
\-----------  
Dick Grayson got up early that morning, leaving his Bludhaven apartment to travel to Gotham. He had gotten a few days leave off his job, a lieutenant at Bludhaven Police department, as it was the 11th anniversary of his parents' death. BPD was very understanding, and insisted he get a few days off instead of just the one. Dick was very grateful, and had spent the previous afternoon packing the things he would need with him in Gotham, including his Nightwing suit and escrima sticks. He never went anywhere without those.

The drive probably took about an hour, Dick deciding to go to the Manor and drop off his things before heading to the cemetery. He always went every year, leaving flowers and talking to his parents, hoping they could hear him.

After their death, he had been taken in by Bruce Wayne, Gotham's most exclusive billionaire. He had soon discovered, however, that there was more to him than met the eye, especially after finding out that he was the Batman. The then 9 year old Dick Grayson had insisted on helping bring his parents' killer to justice and, after a lot of nagging and blackmail being threatened, Bruce agreed. He trained the boy in combat and other important skills before they went out into the field together, and thus Robin was born. He had taken the name from the nickname his mother had given him. All went well for the next 7 years, Robin and Batman becoming known as the Dynamic Duo and doing their best to rid Gotham of the scum. When Dick was 16, he and Bruce had a huge argument, Dick running off and eventually becoming Nightwing. He moved to Bludhaven once he'd graduated and became a police officer, quickly moving up the ranks thanks to his superb intellect and detective skills. He and Bruce did make up with one another in the end, and Dick became a constant visitor to the manor, where Bruce's other adopted sons resided. Dick had come to think of them all as his brothers. 

Jason, 2 years younger than Dick, had been the second Robin, before being killed by the Joker and brought back to life by Ra's Al Guhl's Lazarus pit and becoming the Red Hood. Tim Drake, 4 years younger than Dick had been the third Robin, before becoming Red Robin 3 years later. The fourth and current Robin was Damian Wayne, Bruce's biological son. All of them, except for Jason, still lived with Bruce at the manor.

When Dick arrived later that morning, he was greeted by Alfred, the elderly British Butler. The boys had come to think of Alfred as their grandfather, and his cookies were the best things on Earth.

Dick dropped his bags off in the room he usually stayed in while at the manor, before heading back out to visit the cemetery. Bruce, as always, offered to go with Dick, but Dick refused, saying he preferred to go alone.

He stopped along the way at the florists to purchase some flowers for his parents'. He bought two bouquets and placed them on the passenger seat besides him.

When he got to the cemetery, he parked his car in the parking lot and, taking the flowers with him, walked to the familiar graves.

Bruce had arranged for Dick's parents to be buried next to his own, and Dick, whenever he went, always paid tribute to his adopted grandparents as well, even if he had never known them. He felt it was only right.

He split the two bouquets into four, placing one bunch one each of the gravestones. He gazed sadly down at his parents names, carved forever into the gray marble. Yes, he certainly missed them. Who wouldn't miss their dead parents? But if they hadn't died, he wouldn't have become Robin in the first place, and the world needed Robin.

He began to speak to them, as he always did, in their native language of Romani.  
"Mamă, tată, dacă mă auzi, vreau doar să-ți spun salut. Au trecut 11 ani de când ai murit și îmi este dor de tine. Știu că îi am pe Bruce, Alfred, Jason, Tim și Damian, dar încă îmi este dor de tine. Îi iubesc pe toți ca familia și mă gândesc la Bruce ca la un tată, dar aș vrea să fiți și voi aici. Mi-aș dori să fim cu toții împreună și să te putem vedea, chiar dacă este încă o dată. Aș putea să-ți spun ce s-a întâmplat în viața mea și mi-ai spune că ești mândru de mine și m-ai îmbrățișa. ne-am face din nou toate lucrurile speciale și am merge să luăm înghețată cu unt de arahide de ziua mea. Și, mai mult, este că am putea zbura din nou împreună, chiar dacă este ultima dată. Întotdeauna mă simt cel mai viu când zbor prin aer.  
Totuși, nu pot să nu simt că moartea ta a fost din vina mea. Aș fi putut face mai multe, aș fi putut să vă spun despre Zucco care se ascunde în acea zi, aș fi putut insista să folosim rețeaua, dar presupun că este până târziu. Voiam doar să vă anunț că îmi pare rău."   
(Mom, Dad, if you can hear me, i just want to say hi. It's been 11 years since you died, and I miss you. I know I have Bruce, Alfred, Jason, Tim and Damian, but I still miss you. I love them all like family, and think of Bruce as a father, but i wish you could be here too. I wish we could all be together and that I could see you, even if it's just once more. I could tell you what's happened in my life, and you would tell me that you're proud of me, and would hug me. we would do all of our special things again, and go and get peanut butter ice cream on my birthday. And what's more, we could fly together again, even if it's one last time. I always feel most alive when flying through the air.  
I can't help feeling, though, that your death was my fault. I could have done more, I could have told you about Zucco lurking around that day, I could have insisted that we use the net, but I suppose it's too late now. I just wanted to let you know, that I'm sorry.)

"Nu îndrăznești să spui asta! Nimic nu a fost vina ta! nu ai de ce să-ți pară rău!"(Don't you dare say that! Nothing was your fault! you have nothing to be sorry for!) said a familiar voice from behind him.


	3. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One night, exactly 11 years after the death of the Fabulous Flying Graysons, a bright flash of light is seen at the, currently empty, fairgrounds. Once it disappears, 2 people, a man and woman seemingly in their late forties, are left in its place. Who are these mysterious people? And what do they have to do with Richard Grayson?

Part 2:

3rd person POV

John and Mary Grayson were trying to find their son. They were trying to think of where he could be. They had realised that they themselves were in Gotham and had heard from the news that Dick now lived mainly in Bludhaven. After bouncing the topic back and forth between each other, they decided to stick in Gotham. Dick, they found out, often came to visit his adoptive father there after all, and they had more of a chance of finding him there than in Bludhaven.

After a bit more debating, they also decided to go and visit their own graves. Yes, that might sound weird, but they wanted to know where they were, as it was the anniversary of their death, they supposed Dick might go and visit them.

After asking for directions, they walked to the Gotham Cemetery. When they arrived, they noticed only one car in the parking lot. They went inside the gates and asked one of the workers where they would find the Graysons' graves. He pointed them in the right direction, so they continued on that way. They stopped a few feet away, however, as there was already someone standing there. He had his back towards them and he was speaking a language the Graysons were very familiar with- Romanian. The couple knew this could only be one person; Dick.

They listen sadly to what he was saying, not revealing their presence quite yet. They weren't sure how he would take it, finding out that his parents were suddenly alive again after 11 years.

They stayed silent throughout most of Dick's sad monologue, but Mary couldn't when she heard that her son blamed himself for their deaths. She spoke up loudly, in Romanian, startling both of her family members.  
"Nu îndrăznești să spui asta! Nimic nu a fost vina ta! nu ai de ce să-ți pară rău!"(Don't you dare say that! Nothing was your fault! you have nothing to be sorry for!)

The boy standing before them jumped slightly in surprise, before turning slowly around.

The parents held their breath anxiously, waiting for his reaction.

He now faced them, and his parents took in his features, noticing how he had changed. He still had the same piercing blue eyes and jet black hair, but both his jawline and nose had sharpened. There was a small, barely noticeable scare just below his left eye and another on his cheek. Even to his parents, he was attractive.

They boy, Dick, stared at them in surprise, not believing what he was seeing. They can't be here, he must be dreaming surely.   
"Mamă? Tată?" he asked, with both hope and disbelief.  
His mother, Mary, nodded furiously, tears beginning to stream freely down her cheeks. His father, John, smiled broadly, shedding a few tears as well. Dick took a few tentative steps forwards, still not able to believe it was true. But when his mother embraced him in a hug and he actually felt her, all his disbelief washed away and was replaced by overwhelming joy. Tears began to stream down his face as he hugged her tightly, his father joining in soon afterwards. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes before loosening slightly, Mary still holding on tightly to Dick's hand.  
"How?" he asked his parents "How are you alive?"  
"We don't actually know ourselves," his mother replied, "we were dead until this morning."  
"It doesn't matter though," his father said, "we're here now, and that's what matters."  
Dick smiled at his father, only then noticing that they stood eye-to-eye, and that he was a full head and shoulders taller than his mother.  
"Look how you've grown!" She exclaimed, putting her hands on his shoulders and examining him, "you're taller than I am!"  
Dick chuckled, "that's not all that difficult."  
"He must get it from his Dad," John joked, draping his arm over Dick's shoulder.  
Dick just laughed.  
"Do you mind if we leave?" he asked, "This place is kind of depressing."  
"Of course!" Mary replied, "where do you want to go?"  
"I'm not sure," Dick replied, "we can decide on the way."  
"How are we going to get anywhere though?" John asked, "We don't have a car, or any money on us at all, and I don't feel like walking too far."  
Dick smirked, "How do you think I got here?"

They all climbed into Dick's car, the only one that had been in the parking lot. He drove with his father in the passenger seat besides him and his mother At the back. Dick did wish at that moment that there were 3 seats in the front.

"So," his father asked, "what have you been doing these past 11 years?"  
Dick debated with himself whether to tell them about being Nightwing or not. He decided not to do it immediately, as his parents were very overprotective and would probably want him to stop. He would tell them later.  
"I'm a police officer," Dick told them, " a lieutenant for Bludhaven Police Department."  
His parents nodded.  
"Yes," Mary agreed, smiling, "I think that suits you."  
Dick smiled.  
"We heard that Bruce Wayne took you in," his father said, "What was it like to live with him?"  
'kinda lonely,' Dick thought, 'until I discovered he was Batman and gained 3 brothers'  
"I've enjoyed it," he replied, "Bruce is a very nice man. He has also adopted 2 other boys younger than me and has a son. We think of each other as brothers."  
Dick was a little nervous about his parents' reaction to him having other people as his family, but they actually seemed alright with it.  
"I'm glad," his mother said, "that you had another family after we'd gone."  
Dick smiled.  
"Yes," his father agreed, "I would have felt terrible otherwise."

Dick drove his parents to one of his favourite places in Gotham, a small, secluded beach he had found a few years ago. Not many people knew about it and even fewer knew how to get down. But Dick was an Acrobat and Nightwing, so it was a piece of cake for him. 

He parked the car just off the side of the road and got out, asking his parents to follow him. They did, and also managed to get down easily thanks to their acrobatic skills. The trio then sat down on the soft sand and spoke to each other, Dick telling them about his life during those 11 years. His parents listened with interest, holding onto his every word. They wanted to know everything about their son's life while they'd been gone, and now was the perfect opportunity.

Their peace was interrupted, however, by a piercing scream coming from the road above them. Dick's natural instincts to help kicked in, and he jumped up and raced towards the sound. His parents, surprised by his actions, got up and raced after him.

The scream had been caused by a woman, who was currently being held hostage by none other than Black Mask, the notorious arms and drugs dealer. When Dick saw him, he raced to the trees near the road, ripping open his shirt, revealing the blue Nightwing emblem beneath. He put on his boots and mask and slotted his escrima sticks into the holders on his back. He then raced back to the road from a different direction from where he'd come.

He crept up on the scene, climbing delicately up part of a bridge and watched from above. He saw his parents a fair distance away, looking, presumably, for him.

Black Mask stood on the Bridge, holding a knife to the woman's throat.  
"In 2 minutes," Black Mask proclaimed, loudly, "a bomb is set to go off at this bridge. If anyone tries to stop it or call the police, they shall be killed."  
"You know," Dick said from his position, "the Gotham police are very incompetent, so I've got one better," he gracefully flipped down from the bridge and landed just in front of Black Mask. What he doesn't realise is how many flips he did.  
"Nightwing," Black Mask growled , "I should have known one of the bats would interfere."  
He dropped the woman he was holding to the floor and lunged at Nightwing with the knife. Nightwing reflected it with his wrist guards and aimed for a kick to his stomach which connected. 

While the hero and villain were fighting, the Graysons were staring at the scene in awe. They had heard about the hero Nightwing earlier that day while watching the news, and had been both in awe and impressed by him. Now, they were standing in shock, for they had just seen the hero do a quadruple flip, something they thought only the Flying Graysons could achieve. On top of that, Dick had gone missing after running into the trees, and Nightwing had arrived a few minutes later. This led the Grasons' to the conclusion that Dick, a Grayson, was Nightwing. It would explain the flip. But it couldn't be, surely? He would have told them, wouldn't he?

They were broken out of their thoughts by the sound of gunshots being fired at the black and blue masked hero. Nightwing simply did a number of flips, avoiding the bullets easily.  
"Is that all you've got?" he asked, cockily.  
Black mask grinned evilly.  
"Not even close."  
He pulled something from his jacket that the Graysons couldn't see, but at the sight of it, Nightwings eyes widened in shock and he started running as fast as he could away from the bridge.

Before he could get to the road, however, the explosion detonated, the blast knocking him off his feet. The bridge started crumbling beneath him and he began to fall down towards the water below. All the civilians, who had evacuated the bridge a minute earlier, gasped as they watched their hero fall. What they didn't account for though, was the fact that none of the Bats ever went anywhere without their grapple-guns. 

Nightwing was hanging onto his, literally, for dear life, as he watched the bridge, and Black Mask, fall down into the river mouth below. He then hauled himself back up onto the remaining piece of road to which he'd attached the grapple. At the sight of him, cheers were heard, followed by the sound of screeching tires as Batman arrived.

The former Robin walked up to his old mentor and the two began to talk. The two Graysons wondered, if Dick was Nightwing, how he had come to know the Dark Knight in the first place. They knew Nightwing had been Robin before becoming Nightwing, so he had known Batman then as well. As she thought about it, Mary gasped. Nightwing had been the first Robin, the one to come up with the mantle in the first place. It had to be Dick! Who else would use the nickname she used to have for her son?

Once the two heroes had finished discussing things with each other, Batman got back into the Batmobile and drove off. Nightwing then left as well. 

A minute or two later, Dick Grayson re-emerged from the car, wearing a new set of the clothes he had been in earlier. He walked up behind his parents, who were still standing on the side of the road.  
"What did I miss?"  
His parents turned sharply in fright, and his mother embraced him immediately afterwards.  
"Why didn't you tell us?" she whispered in his ear.  
Dick was surprised. How had she known? Although she was his mother, she was supposed to notice those sorts of things.  
"What do you mean, Mary?" John asked, looking at his wife in confusion, "What isn't Dick telling us?"  
"I'll explain everything in the car," Dick responded for her.


	4. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One night, exactly 11 years after the death of the Fabulous Flying Graysons, a bright flash of light is seen at the, currently empty, fairgrounds. Once it disappears, 2 people, a man and woman seemingly in their late forties, are left in its place. Who are these mysterious people? And what do they have to do with Richard Grayson?

Part 3:

3rd person POV

“So,” John asked his son, once they were back on the road, “what is it you have to tell us?”  
Dick took a deep breath, unsure of how his parents would react to the news, even if his mother already knew.  
“It’s a rather complicated story,” he said.  
“Why don’t you start from the beginning?” Mary suggested.  
“Alright,” Dick agreed, “well, I suppose it all started after you died, when I was 9. As you know, I was taken in by Bruce Wayne, and I went to live with him at Wayne Manor. At the start, Bruce was hardly there, always at work meetings or out doing charity work. I was quite lonely, having my only company in Bruce’s butler, Alfred.”   
His parents glanced sadly at one another.

“It was like that for the first month or so, that is, until I discovered his secret.”  
“What secret?” John asked.  
“That Bruce Wayne,” Dick announced, “is Batman.”  
His parents gaped at him.  
“Well,” Mary said, “that does explain a few things.”

“When I found out,” Dick continued, “I asked him to train me. I wanted to see your killer put behind bars. Reluctantly, Bruce agreed.”  
“How did you manage that?” John asked.  
Dick smirked, “I may or may not have threatened to reveal his identity.”  
“When you were 9?”  
Dick nodded.  
“Anyway, he did as he’d promised, and about a month later, I went out into the field for the first time,” Dick paused, “I’m sure you’ve heard of Robin?”  
His parents gazed at him in amazement.   
“You mean you were…”  
Dick nodded, “Yes, I was the first Robin.”  
“The first?” his mother asked, “you mean there were more?”  
“When I was 16,” Dick replied, “I had an argument with Bruce. I ended up leaving, and ran away to Jump City for two years, where I became the leader of the team known as the Teen Titans. Once I’d left, Bruce got a second Robin, Jason Todd.”   
Dick sighed, “Jason was killed by the Joker 2 years later.”  
His parents gasped.  
“After that, there was a third Robin, Tim Drake. He became Red Robin 2 years ago. Now, there’s a fourth, Damian Wayne, Bruce’s son.”  
They sat in silence for a minute.

“What did you do though,” his father asked, “you couldn’t be Robin anymore if there were others.”  
Dick smirked, his mother already knew what was coming.

“Where do you think I was,” Dick asked, “at the bridge?”  
His father looked at him strangely.  
“I don’t know,” he replied, “you disappeared shortly before…”  
He stopped abruptly as he realized what he was saying.  
“You’re…”  
“Yep,” Dick replied, popping the ‘p’, “I am.”

—————————-

Dick drove his parents towards Wayne Manor.  
“I think,” he said, “ that you should wait in the car while I explain everything to everyone. Once I’ve done that, I will come and fetch you so you can meet Bruce and the others.”  
“Alright,” his parents agreed.

Dick left his car parked in front of the doors and used his key to gain entry to the large building. Once inside, he was greeted by Bruce, who had returned to the manor after seeing Dick at the bridge.   
“Where have you been?” he asked, “what were you doing in the area anyway?”  
“Well,” Dick began, “it’s rather difficult to explain.”

He then spent the next 10 minutes briefly explaining everything to Bruce, the latter’s eyebrows rising with every word.

When Dick had finished, the pair stood in silence for a minute, the Dark Knight mulling over what the younger he had told him.

“That is quite unbelievable,” Bruce said, eventually, “and quite strange too. But you had better ask them inside.”  
“Of course,” Dick said, heading back outside to where his parents waited in the car.  
He asked them to come inside, and they followed him.

Bruce, when he saw them, had to admit that he could see the resemblance between Dick and his parents. Dick had his father's jet-black hair and facial features, but his mother’s bright blue eyes.

The Graysons were then introduced to Bruce, and they thanked him for taking Duck in once they had gone. They all seemed to get on quite well.

The group was busy talking at the bottom of the stairs when the shouts started above them. Dick, knowing the cause, ran up the stairs to try and stop his brothers from killing each other.

He followed the shouting to the hallway outside Damian’s bedroom, where he found all 3 of them there, Damian currently busy trying to stab Jason with a knife. Dick ran forwards and managed to separate the 2 of them, noticing Tim standing in the corner laughing silently to himself. Once he had pried the two apart, Damian then started lunging towards him. Dick dogged his attack, but Damian wasn’t able to stop in time, and ended up crashing into the wall. Jason laughed, so Damian started going after him again.

They chase lead the group of four boys down the flight of stairs, startling 2 of the three adults at the bottom. Dick and Tim were running after Jason and Damian, Jason running from Damian who still brandished the knife.

The adults watched the scene, Bruce with weariness, John and Mary in a mixture of curiosity and fright, granted that the youngest was going after his brother with a knife. A knife.

It's a good thing that the Graysons were aware of all the facts, or they probably would have called child services or something.

Dick and Tim eventually managed to wrestle the knife from Damian, gaining a few scratches from his sharp nails as they did so. Damian was then held back by Dick, who had him by the arms. Damian, meanwhile, was glaring at anyone who dared to look at him.

"Damian," Dick demanded in a tone his parents had never heard from him before, "apologise to Jason."  
"Why should I?" he demanded, glaring furiously.  
Damian, however, had only known Batman for 2 years, whereas Dick had known him for 11, so his glare beat Damian's in furiosity. It intimidated his parents, and it wasn't even directed towards them.  
Damian relented.   
"Alright," he growled, "I apologise, Todd. Now will you let me go?"  
Dick let Damian go.

Now that the commotion was over, the 3 younger boys finally noticed the two other adults in the room. Those adults, meanwhile, were all busy looking at the 3 boys, the ones their son thought of as brothers.


	5. Import Announcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title says it all

Due to a comment made recently on this work, I am going to rewrite it. 

I realise that there are a lot of things that need to be changed and mistakes that need to be fixed. 

I'm not sure when I will post this, so please bear with me. 

Love 

Writer171105 


End file.
